Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to surgical apparatus having an articulating tool assembly. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a surgical apparatus including an improved cartridge and tool assemblies.
Background of Related Art
Surgical apparatus for operating on tissue are well known in the art and typically include a powered handle assembly, a body portion extending distally from the handle assembly, and a tool assembly supported on the distal end of the body portion and being articulable relative to the body portion. The tool assembly includes first and second jaws which are movable in relation to each other between unapproximated and approximated positions. In surgical stapling apparatus, the first jaw supports an anvil assembly and the second jaw supports a cartridge assembly. The cartridge assembly may be replaceable to permit reuse of the tool assembly during a surgical procedure. The replaceable cartridge assembly may be provided in a variety of configurations for use on tissue having different properties, i.e., thickness, density. For example, the different cartridge assemblies may have staples of different sizes and/or the staples may be arranged in different configurations.
Many cartridge assemblies include an identification chip that is electrically coupled to the handle assembly by a conductor extending through the body portion of the surgical stapling apparatus to ensure the handle assembly is programmed to operate with the attached cartridge assembly. During attachment of the cartridge assembly to the surgical stapling apparatus improper loading of the cartridge assembly may result into damage to the electrical connection between the cartridge assembly and the surgical stapling apparatus. To prevent damage to the electrical connections during loading of the cartridge assembly and during use of the surgical stapling apparatus, it would be beneficial to provide a cartridge assembly with an improved electrical connection.